About Central Michel Richard

Michel Richard's modern American brasserie and winner of the 2008 James Beard award for best new restaurant. Located on the corner of 11 St. & Penn. Ave NW with a great central location, walking distance to the White House, Capitol, The Warner, National Mall and theaters. Central is Michel's tribute to great American cuisine, both modern and classic, with a French accent. A vibrant bar scene with a great wine and beer list as well as modern & classic cocktails.

I made a reservation me and three of my girlfriends for a Valentine’s Day dinner. From the moment we sat down it was nothing short of amazing. Our server, Boris, was AMAZING. Every time I come back, I will always sit with him. He made sure we wanted for nothing. Please make sure this gets back to him, we love him!

Very disappointing experience. Was our Valentine's Day dinner and unfortunately the restaurant experience did little to make it special. First: waiting literally 15 minutes for the valet to appear. Secondly: service was incredibly slow and inattentive. Here's a hint: VD is usually a busy dinner night, Central! Not only did it take forever to take our order, we ended up waiting neatly 20 minutes for the main course to arrive following the appetizers. (Thank you to the waiter for the apologies and the extra wine refill.) When it did arrive, the food was cold... yay, that means it was sitting. Compounding this, neither the duck nor the salmon dish was very imaginative or very tasty. The desert *looked* spectacular, but was rather tasteless as well. In short, I guess I'm not surprised I was able to secure a reservation to Central for VD... apparently people knew to stay away.

Valentine day dinner w the wife. They called three times to confirm the reservation, twice asking for credit card in case we cancelled. And we probably should have. Not nearly what the place used to be.

We ordered the tasting menu w wine pairing for one. Bill w tax and tip came to $250. The crab appetizer was brilliant. The main ‘surf and turf’ of filet mignon and lobster tail was just the opposite. Chef recommended medium for the filet (relunctantlybagreed) and it came well (not even a shade of pink). We thought we were getting a tail but instead got a ‘tail equivalent’ mixed with a substance that did not go down well. Big disappointment.

Chocolate covered sponge cake w fruit (shaped like a heart) made a nice desert. Wine pairing was fine but the pours were stingy.

Central was a regular spot my husband and I would go to whenever we got a weekend date night without the kids. We always had an above average experience until last night. The food was still delicious but the service by the restaurant staff from the hostess to the manager was not impressive. They weren’t friendly. They weren’t rude, but just didn’t come across as inviting and welcoming especially for a higher end restaurant like Central. I even noticed that the manager - I’m assuming he was because he was the guy in the sports jacket - went around and said hello to every table except ours and we were sitting in the middle of the dining room. I thought it was just me, but when I mentioned it to my husband, he said he noticed too. Not a big deal, but it didn’t make us feel as welcome. Overall just a mediocre spot for date night last night.

Service was phenomenal! Clarissa and one of the managers took great care of us. Burger was perfection, fried chicken was almost too much. Didn't really care for the fries, but the salad and cougeres were delightful. Drinks were also very good. Don't upcharge $2 to split a salad--it's a little awkward and really unnecessary for a restaurant of this quality. A little loud and bright, but great experience overall. Clarissa was ridiculously charming and fun.

Both of us were extremely disappointing. We gave up a reservation at Le Diplomate to try something new. The atmosphere was cafeteria-like and the food not much better. Uncreative, heavy and not well executed. Nothing stood out. The menu was boring. I barely touched my caesar salad which was drenched in blue cheese dressing and the French onion soup tasted like canned comsomme with a thick and bland glop of cheese over it. Not sure why this restaurant gets the ratings it has.

Our food was good, not a fan of the hanger steak but salmon, onion soup, all else was excellent. Biggest plus is the service was perfect. Boris was our server and he was one of the best we have had since living in DC. We had dinner here prior to going to Ford's theatre. Very convenient, will go again. Service again was perfect.

Tags: Late-night Find, Authentic, Cozy, Special Occasion, Good for Anniversaries

Central is so consistently good. I had not been here in a while and my favorites were just as good as they have always been. I still think the Ahi tuna burger is the best sandwich in town and the cheese puffs! I had forgotten about the lemon dessert and it too was excellent. Service was top notch. Interior starting to feel a little dated, but it remains very comfortable and it's easy to have a conversation.

It was my business associate’s first time at Central and she was wowed by the food, the service and the ambiance that welcomed without being intrusive. She’ll return ....and so will I. Central continues to deliver and then some despite the drag of being across the street from the Trump property.

We enjoyed every dish we had - from wonderful frisee salad to main courses of mussels and loupe de mer. The restaurant staff treated us to a "birthday surprise" - my friend got a birthday candle in a delicious chocolate mousse. We both loved the experience!

For all those restaurants who feel they don't want to participate in Restaurant Week ...take note.. We have already made plans to return to Central based on the fantastic food and service we experienced dining there for restaurant week. It was clear the restaurant was taking the opportunity to lure out back with great food and service. The fried chicken breast with mashed potatoes is the ultimate comfort food, the trout was moist with crispy skin and the serving was large enough to take home for lunch the next day. The inclusion of 3 choices of bottles of wine with a $40 price was a wonderful surprise for us and we took advantage of it. A wonderful dining experience that we fully intend to enjoy again very soon.

We were greeted cordially and seated almost immediately. Our server was attentive, taking our orders in a timely manner. The food was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. We both had the trout almondine and it was exceptional. We enjoyed the entire meal.

I have always seen this restaurant get excellent reviews so I was excited to try it out on restaurant week. We just found it OK overall...soup and salad definitely best part of the meal....The dining atmosphere is mediocre at best with little ambiance. Good service though.

Central has been our top restaurant for outings with dear friends and family. The food is always delicious, the drinks are inspiring and unique and the service is top notch. It is sophisticated but not pretentious. We have been here over a dozen times and everyone we bring loves it!

We ate for the first time at Central and were very impressed by both the food and service. We took advantage of the three course selections offered during restaurant week and my wife and I purposefully chose different selections all of which were inventive and outstanding. Our waiter was pleasant, knowledgeable and added significantly to the dining experience. GM Brian Zipin clearly has a clue about how to manage the staff and seemed proud of their skills and teamwork, which included bussing plates with elan and folding napkins when diners stepped away from their tables and covering for each other while dancing through tight spaces. The place was bustling, open and somewhat reminiscent of a cafeteria in design. Matching this feel, it was more than a touch noisy, but the meal was so good that all that soon became background. Note the ambience did not match the refinement of the cuisine and service and I thought was a bit of a detraction if you are looking for style and comfort. However we will likely go back, even at the non restaurant week pricing which is a bit on the high side for what seems a raucous, open bistro experience. If you want to be in a fervent somewhat casual scene and eat well, it may be 100% satisfying.

I was expecting a more formal atmosphere and venue. My friend and I were there for restaurant week. I had the prosciutto appetizer, which was absolutely delicious! Loved the combo of prosciutto, with sweet fruit and cheese. I tasted my friend's butternut squash soup, which was very good too. I then had the fried chicken breast. The serving was huge, 2 large breasts of chicken laid on top of a bed of mashed potatoes. My friend and I could have split that dinner. The mashed potatoes were divine too and the green beans nice and snappy. I also tried my friend's almondine trout, very good with baby potatoes! for dessert we ordered different desserts to try each others. I had the pistaccio creme brulee, which was absolutely wonderful, then tried my friend's warm bread pudding which was to die for as well!! The food was definitely up to par and absolutely delicious!! The service very good and fast. thank you. I will back for the food. Thank you.

It was restaurant week and this was a perfect place! It gets rather noisy here. I had expected tablecloths but I guess they want a more casual place. The service was good but the waiter a little too talkative. He spoke fast and his accent was hard to understand. The appetizer was delicious and beautifully plated. Overall it was a very nice experience.

It is always a pleasure eating at Central - the food is delicious (we had squash soup with fried egg and bacon - very original) and their delicious fried chicken and mashed potato. We order that every time we go, along with the chocolate lava cake. Fantastic meal.

Service was good; noise level a bit too high for our liking, but once the lunch crowd began thinning out , the noise level was much lower.

Great butter for dinner bun, but need a little work on the bread. I had squash soup as starter. Egg cooked perfectly, initial taste is smooth and flavorful. It is a bit too rich near the end of the soup. Trout is my choice for entree. The fish is cooked beautifully. Presentation is nice. The only problem is that the use of lemon juice is too heavy which overwhelmed the fish. Pistachio creme burlee is just astonishing. Great restaurant week menu and dishes. This is a place I will recommend.

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